Keely Hodgkinson MBE

Keely Hodgkinson is a talented English middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800m race. At a young age, Keely already has multiple World Championship, Commonwealth Games, and European Championship medals to her name. Her most notable achievement, however, was when she won a Silver Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics followed by a Gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the 800m. This achievement broke the British record previously held by Col Dame Kelly Holmes for running the 800m in the fastest time. For her exemplary performance, Keely was appointed MBE in the 2025 New Year’s Honours List. Keely is a highly sought-after speaker due to her incredible journey of overcoming setbacks and achieving high at a young age.

After getting into running at the young age of 9, Keely has a flying start to her running career. She became the European under 18, and the English under 20 champions at aged only 16. Other, achievements during this time include winning numerous age-group titles and setting records, including being the first junior woman to break the two-minute barrier in the indoor 800m. All whilst continuing to be a college and then a university student.

Throughout her career, Keely has overcome challenges and adversity, such as enduring a mastoidectomy to remove a tumour on her ear that left her with 95% hearing loss in the ear and recurring knee problems to continue progressing in her career. This did not stop her from doing what she loves, Keely soon enough returned to racing. Her commitment to running has seen her become the recipient of countless honours, including the British Athletics Supporters Club BASC Young Female Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Year awards.

She has also claimed the British Rising Star and British Female Athlete of the Year awards from Athletics Weekly and was honoured with the British Athletics Writers’ Association Cliff Temple Award for British Female Athlete of the Year in 2021. In 2024 Keely was rewarded for her remarkable year and named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

More recently Keely continues to improve and better herself, setting a British 800m indoor record in 2022 and then improving it in 2023, placing her 6th on the world all-time list. Additionally, Keely managed to lower her national outdoor record twice in 2023 which earned her the title of fastest British woman in the event and entered her into the global top 10. Having already proved herself Keely went on to achieve Silver at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, further showcasing her consistent top-level performance. Her dominance in the sport has also been reinforced through her achievement as champion at the 2021 and 2023 Diamond League.

As a speaker, Keely offers her personal stories of triumph over adversity and relates these to each of her audiences. She emphasises the importance of resilience, hard work, and perseverance. As an engaging and dynamic speaker, Keely is known as a true role model for young people as she is a young achiever herself.